OCR Text |
Show IRRIGATION IS NOTHING NEW In Ancient Babylonia There Has Been Discovered System Larger Than Any In This Country. A great many believe that Irrigation Irriga-tion on a larg? scale Is a comparatively comparative-ly new project. Many also Imagine thai before, the United States authorities authori-ties began to reclaim great tracts of wcht.-rn lands, It was an unhearj of proportion. Hut you didn't know, did you, that out In Itabylonln, ancient llabylonla. mini) you, there has been discovered a system of Irrigation said to be larger than anything attempted In that line In this country or anywhere any-where else Of course It Is now nothing noth-ing tint wante Innds, swamps, etc.. but In its day It waa something to be wondered at. In that t art of llabylonla known as Iraq el Arabia, tbe great plains were ' covered with a net-work of canals which carried agricultural prosperity I to all parts of tbe country. The neg- leet of these has so changed tbe condl- 1 tlons of the country that Instead of a j fertility that was once the wonder of the ancient world, a cheerless wate now presents Itself. Some months of the year the country Is practically revered with swamps and marshes, while the remaining, jwrthm Is a desolate des-olate plain.' |